Is Bryson DeChambeau playing Open after controversy? He takes to social media

Bryson DeChambeau’s social media accounts, at about midnight Saturday in England, shared posts that appeared to signal the two-time major winner will play the Open Championship’s third round following a rules controversy on Friday.  

“Onto the weekend…” his Instagram account posted, along with eight pictures — two of which addressed an incident that penalized DeChambeau two strokes, along with putting his status in doubt for the weekend at the major championship being played at Royal Birkdale in England. On X, DeChambeau’s account wrote: “Obviously disappointed with the ruling. I don’t agree with it, but it is what it is. This fires me up. Onto the weekend. Let’s get it.”

One of the Instagram pictures showed a cut-out photo of DeChambeau hovering over a patch of fescue grass to the right of Birkdale’s 5th hole, along with the words “walking into the weekend like …” During Friday’s second round, DeChambeau had found his ball in that area after a wayward tee shot and, as he measured how to play it, stepped on and around the grass before hitting his second shot. USA Network cameras showed the sequence, and after the round, rules officials questioned whether DeChambeau, in maneuvering, had improved the area around the ball, a no-no addressed in the Rules of Golf under Rule 8.1b.  

Another photo on the Instagram post featured another cut-out of DeChambeau in the fescue area on the 5th hole, though this picture included two rules officials and was taken during a sequence after the round. DeChambeau and officials revisited where he had played the shot before making their ruling, and, multiple times, the pro appeared agitated at the discussion.

After a discussion in the scoring tent, the R&A announced that DeChambeau’s bogey 5 on the hole had been changed to a triple-bogey 7, and he dropped from second place and a stroke out of the lead to a tie for fifth and three back. Later, DeChambeau went to Birkdale’s range to hit balls, and his agent, Brett Falkoff, told reporters at the course that DeChambeau was undecided as to whether he would continue playing in the Open and that he would announce his decision Saturday morning. “He’s a lot of things,” Falkoff said. “He’s not a cheater.”

Do the posts mean DeChambeau is playing? His decision, of course, will not be fully known until 3:30 p.m. local time (10:30 a.m. ET) — that’s when DeChambeau is scheduled to tee off on hole 1. 

In explaining the decision to reporters, Grant Moir, the R&A’s executive director of governance, said DeChambeau was penalized “for inadvertently improving the area of his intended swing, so intended backswing on the 5th hole when he was playing his second shot.”

Moir said the ruling “restricts what a player may do to improve any of the protected conditions affecting the stroke, and this includes the area of the player’s intended swing. So an improvement means to alter one or more of the conditions affecting the stroke so that the player gains a potential advantage for the stroke.

“Now, I’ll stress that this applies even when the action is accidental, as it was in Bryson’s case.

“The area of intended swing includes the entire area that might reasonably affect any part of the backswing, the downswing or the complaining of the swing for the intended stroke, and importantly, what the prohibited action here is that the player mustn’t move, bend or break any growing or attached natural object. A player is allowed to fairly take their stance by taking reasonable actions to get to the ball and take a stance, if in some situations that improves the condition affecting the stroke, but when doing so, the player must take the least intrusive course of action to deal with the particular situation and is not entitled to a normal stance or swing.

“I would reiterate this rule applies even when there’s no intention to improve the area, as was the case with Bryson.

“That’s all I have to say.”

On Friday, DeChambeau did not formally talk to reporters. He has also yet to have a formal press session this week.